Stalk-splitting machine for whips



(No Model.)

1). D. GRIFFIN. STALK SPLITTING MAGHINE FOR WHIPS;

No. 508,937. Patented N0v.'Z1,'1 893.

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WITNESSES UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

DUANE D. GRIFFIN, OF WESTFIIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

STALK-SPLITTING MACHINE 'FOR WHIPS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 508,93i, dated November 21, 1893.

' Application filed July 14., 1392. Serial No; 440.059. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DUANE D. GRIFFIN, acitizen of the United States, residing at Westfield, in the countyof Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and usef ul Improvement in Stalk-Splitting Machines 1891, to one Reed, in which a split extending from end to end of the stalk, in a diagonal line, is made bya knife and suitable feeding and guiding devices for the stalk, thereby dividing the stalk into correspondingly tapered halves. In the use of such machines much trouble has been encountered by the fact that the stalks necessarily differ more or less in diameter even when selected as carefully as possible to sort them into different sizes, and the stationary guiding devices upon the machine being set to correspond witha given size of stalk, such slight variations in diame ter prevent many of the stalks from being rigidly held from lateral movement by the guides, and an equal division thereof by the knife is rendered impossible, thereby causing a waste of much of the stock.

It is theobject of my invention to provide a form of stalk guide for such machines which will be of a sclf centering character, that is to say, which, being adjusted for stalks of a given size, will automaticallyadapt itself to slight variations inthe diameters of the stalks in such manner as to bring their axial centers to the same plane regardless of such variations.

To this end my invention consists in the guidingmeans constructed and operating as hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, in which like letters and numerals designate like parts in the several views, Figure 1 is a side view of so much of a stalk splitting machine having applied thereto my novel guiding means as are necessary to be shown for a full understanding of the invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same parts.

The letter a designates a portion of the bed splitting machine similar to that shownin the Letters Patent to Reed hereinbefore referred to, by reference to which a clear understanding of the machine audits mode of operation may be had without further illustration or description herein. In said patent, however, a stationary knife is used and dependence is placed upon a laterally movable guide-bar, operated by a cam-actuated lever, to give to the stalk the necessary lateral movement to secure the diagonal division thereof by the knife.

In the machine herein shown a laterally movable knife 01 is used, it being carried at the front end of the same bar e, which now becomes a knife-bar, it being actuated by the same cainactuated lever f, as in said patent.

I do not however, claim such laterally mov- In the practice of my invention, I provide 1 thevertical side-wall b with an opening I)" located immediately in front of the plane of movement of the knife d, through which opening projects a guide block g, guided in ahousing g and pressed forwardly by a spring g as represented by broken lines in Fig. 2. Directly opposite to said guide-block, at the front side. of the table a, is located a second guide-block h, guided within a housi g h, andv pressed 'rearwardly, or toward block g, by a spring 72?. Said guide-blocks preferably have their acting faces slightly rounded as shown, and their function is to guide a stalk, fed through the machine by the feed-rolls, in a truly straight line, by bearing against the opposite sides thereof, so that the knife d as it is moved laterally by the knifebar may divide the stalk diagonally into two equal parts. Suitably secured to the wall b above said opening is a bracket is, provided at one end with two downwardly projectin ears in in each of which ismounted an ad justing screw 2. Pivotally connected to said bracket at its opposite end is the supportingbar m, the free end of which lies between the ends of said adjusting screws 2, by means of which said free end of the bar can be adjusted laterally in either direction. To the freeend of said supporting-bar a lever n is pivotally connected at a point midway between its ends, and links and p connect the opposite ends of said lever with the guide blocks g and h respectively, by means of pins projecting from said guide-blocks through slots 3 in their housings Said lever and links thus disposed serve as an equalizer for the guideblocks, by compelling uniformity of movement thereof in opposite directions,whi1e, at the same time, both blocks and the equalizer are adjustable laterally by means of the adjilsting screws 2. For example, the barm being adjusted to a position to causetheguideblocks to accurately guide stalks of a given diameter through the machine, and a stalk being fed to the machinewhose diameter exceeds say one-fourth of an inch such given diameter, said stalk, instead of crowding backwardly one of the guide-blocks a distance of one-fourth of an inch and thereby causing the' 'axial center of the stalk to lie to one side of the proper plane, will cause each of the blocks g h to recede a distance of one-eighth of an inch, through the action of the equalizer, and there by keep its axial center in the same plane as if its diameter did not exceed that for which the machine is set. The even division of the stalk by the knife regardless of slightvariations in diameter is therefore assured. The elastic pressure of the guide-blocks against the stalk, due to their springs g 72. remains the same,- and the feeding action of the rolls 0 is undisturbed by the action of the equalizer.

means performing their function in the same manner regardless of changes in the other parts of the machine.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a stalk splitting machine for whips, the combination with alaterally moving knife of the guiding means for the stalk herein described, comprisingtwospring-actuated guideblocks located upon opposite sides of the plane of movement of the stalk, a supporting-bar located above said plane, means for adjusting said bar transversely of said plane, and lever and link connections substantially as described between said bar and each of said guide-blocks whereby movement of one block is transmitted to the other block in an opposite direction, substantially as set forth.

2. In a stalk splittingmachine for whips, the combination With a splitting knife movable in a plane at a right-angle to the path of movement of a stalk through the machine, of two guide-blocks located upon opposite sides of said path of movement and immediately in front of said knife, springs pressing said blocks toward each other, a laterally adjustable support located above said path of movement, a lever pivotally connected midway between its ends to said support, and links connecting the opposite ends of said lever with said guide-blocks respectively,substantially as set forth.

3. In a stalk splitting machine, the combination with the laterally movable knife dand feed-rolls c, of the bracket provided with the adjusting screws 2, the supporting-bar m pivotally connected at one end to said bracket and projectingbetween the ends of said screws, lever 41. pivotally connected midway between its ends to said bar m, guide-blocks g h, and links 0 p connecting the opposite ends of said WVitnesses:

W. H. CHAPMAN, GEO. E. WHIPPLE. 

